I was one of those early-adopter HR professionals that jumped onto the employee engagement bandwagon back in the late 1990s. Prior to that time, most HR professionals (including me) focused on employee satisfaction, which generally consisted of surveying employees for feedback on things like their work space, the work location, their benefits package, the food in the company cafeteria... you get the idea.
Alternatively, the concept of employee engagement articulated and highlighted the importance of the emotional connection between the individual and the employer. It defined the intangible feeling that makes employees want to come in on weekends, work extra hours, deliver superior quality, and do it without being asked. "Engaged employees actually care about their work and their company," said Kevin Kruse in his Forbes article on the subject. "They don’t work just for a paycheck, or just for the next promotion, but work on behalf of the organization’s goals."
Engaged employees = better business
There have been numerous studies and articles related to the correlation between employee engagement and company performance (including this piece by Gallup). It's reported that organizations with engaged employees are almost 50% more productive and have customer satisfaction rates over 70% higher than companies with an unengaged workforce. It makes a lot of sense. A company filled with over-achieving, happy employees is bound to outperform companies whose people are totally disengaged from their work.
Engaged employees = engaged end-customers
More specifically, it's my observation that employee engagement also translates to better customer engagement. Engaged employees tend to take a deeper interest in understanding their end customer’s needs and going the extra mile to solve their tough issues. As Simon Sinek said, "Customers will never love your company until the employees love it first." For Summa, whose work is built around serving and delighting the end user, encouraging employee engagement is crucial to the health and success of our business.
Employee engagement ideas
In my experience, there are a few easy ways to focus your company culture towards customer engagement. Remember, this isn't about new snacks, different chairs, or tacking on other bells and whistles. It's about creating a culture where employees really care about what they do.
1. Hire candidates with engagement in mind.
When interviewing, don't just explore a candidate's skill set and competencies. Ask questions about their cultural fit to your organization and more importantly, their motivational fit. Someone who is personally motivated by your business and the role they'd play within it is more likely to be engaged in the work they'd do each day.
Ask behavioral-based questions in the interview process to get a feel for their engagement with past roles, too. For example, “Tell me about a time when you were the most engaged in your work. What characteristics of that role and the organization kept you so motivated?” See if what they describe fits with your organization and the position in question.
2. Ask your employees the right questions.
Summa conducts an annual survey that goes beyond general employee satisfaction questions. We ask about things like our employees' perception of how open we are to new ideas, whether they feel like they're valued and recognized for their work, whether they feel well-informed about Summa's direction and decisions, and if the work they do is meaningful and fulfilling.
3. Follow up and follow through.
If you are going through the effort to survey your employees, always follow through by communicating the results and seeking additional input from employees on ideas for improvement. At Summa, we hold small focus group meetings after we get our annual survey results—employees can speak openly about the results, brainstorm new initiatives, and share ideas for ways we can improve. We also make a point to communicate what actions the organization is taking that align with the feedback we received. Your people need to know that you value their input and take employee engagement seriously.
4. Align your organizational goals to individual goals.
Engaged employees are always looking for new challenges and meaningful ways they can impact their organization. Most highly engaged employees don’t need defined goals to get them into action, yet keeping them focused is important. Work together with your direct reports to develop individual and stretch goals that align with the organization's plans. And once goals are set, be sure to recognize accomplishments and provide frequent, strong feedback. Doing so will encourage your employees to stay involved, and show that you're just as engaged as they are.
My experience has been that highly engaged employees want to know as much about their work as they can, how they can connect what they're doing with how it impacts the organization, and most importantly, how they can positively impact the end customer. So, if you're looking to evolve and improve the ways customers engage with your business, start by taking a look at how your company engages with its employees.
